The point of a newborn photo shoot is to capture the way your family looks together when the baby has just been born. Traditionally, there's only a small window of time in which to take newborn photos, because, well, a baby is only "new" for so long. But that didn't stop one family from waiting a full 21 years before taking a newborn-style photo shoot with their son.

Rebecca Hayes and David Ward missed the opportunity to take a set of newborn photos with their son, Clayton, when he was truly a newborn because they broke up shortly before he was born. According to HuffPost, Hayes and Ward dated in high school, and Hayes became pregnant with Clayton her sophomore year of school. The couple stayed relatively close to raise their son but otherwise led separate lives with separate spouses.

Then in 2013, Hayes's husband died and her high school ex-boyfriend, Ward, reconnected with her to help deal with the heartache. Two years later, in 2015, Ward's wife also died. As HuffPost reports, the two exes became friends and supported each other through it all, and eventually became romantic again.

Chaotic Perfection Photography

Now, reunited as a couple after all this time, was really the first chance Hayes and Ward had to take those newborn photos they missed out on decades before. Hayes told HuffPost the photo shoot was her idea. "I half joked about it but both David and Clay were surprisingly on board, so I had to jump on it," she said.

Hayes had her longtime friend and photographer, Duffi Crowson with Chaotic Perfection Photography, take the admittedly non-traditional newborn photos. "I’m not gonna lie, there were discussions about making a huge basket and possibly the mention of a giant teddy bear," Hayes told HuffPost. "In the end we decided simple would be enough."

Chaotic Perfection Photography

As wild as the photos of Hayes and Ward holding their 21-year-old son's feet up like he's a tiny little baby may be, the story behind them is moving. Hayes hopes people see more to the photos than a goofy set of images with a very-much grownup son.

"I really just want people to know that life is weird and horrible and wonderful at times," Hayes told HuffPost. "You never know where it will lead, and you have to embrace what comes your way fully. We went through some rough rough times and just learned to grasp onto those things that are truly important."